The PAC-10 baseball season has barely gotten underway, but the way Phoenixville and Upper Perkiomen went at each other this past Monday, one might have thought a playoff berth was on the line.

                The Tribe entered the contest riding a three-game winning streak in league play, and a win would keep them right near the top of the PAC-10 standings with only one loss.

                Phoenixville, on the other hand, was looking to steal a road win that could have a lot more meaning in the final week of the season when, teams are battling to extend their seasons. A loss and the Phantoms would fall back to the .500 mark.

                Unfortunately for the locals, the Phantoms did not fall back to .500 as they found a way to make a lone fourth-inning run stand up and defeated the Indians by a score of 1-0.

                "It was a battle," said Upper Perkiomen head coach Frank Mercon after the game. "Both teams played well. In a game like this the team that finds a way to capitalize on their opportunities is going win. We had some chances early and just couldn't capitalize. Unfortunately for us they managed to do that and that was the difference."

                It took an outstanding defensive play by Phoenixville center fielder Austin Walsh to keep the Tribe off the board in the home half of the first inning as he robbed Elias Gabel-Trip of a two-out RBI hit.

                The Indians had Phoenixville starting pitcher Mike Anthony on the ropes in the second. Upper Perk loaded the bases with one out. Anthony, though, got the second out of the inning via the strikeout, and induced a ground ball to third to bring the Indians' threat to an end.

                Upper Perk starting pitcher Chris Kachmar, meanwhile, had little trouble controlling the Phantoms' offensive attack. Kachmar allowed only one hit while striking out three of the first nine hitters he faced.

                The game would be decided in the top half of the fourth inning. Phantoms' leadoff batter Brett Arney opened the inning with a single to center field. Moments later Arney found himself standing on the other corner of the diamond - the result of a pickoff attempt at first base that didn't go as planned. One out later Anthony drove home the only run he would need with a single to left field.

                Anthony pitched all seven innings for the visitors, scattering seven hits while striking out 10. Kachmar was just as strong in suffering the loss as he allowed only four hits in five innings of work. Glenn Boyer pitched the final two innings for the Tribe. Boyer didn't allow a hit while striking out three. Arney led the Phantoms offense with a pair of base hits, while Austin Orsini had a multiple hit performance for the Tribe.

                The loss was Upper Perk's second in league play to go along with three wins. The Phantoms improved to 4-2.  Upper Perk will be at home Friday when they play Spring-Ford at 4 p.m.